Lightning Bolt was one of the first heavy-hitter surf companies back in the early ‘70s. Born from legendary shapers Jack Shipley and Gerry Lopez, surfers knew they were getting quality product and flocked to Hawaii to get their hands on Lightning Bolt boards and apparel. Though the presence of Lightning Bolt fell off the radar after its hay-day, Lightning Bolt has lived on and prospered in Europe for the past 20 years.
Rumors swirl about the origin of the Lightning Bolt logo. Some say the Bolt was a graphic metaphor for a particularly strong strain of marijuana circulating the Hawaiian Islands in the late 1960s. Company co-founder Gerry Lopez fouls that off: “It was about the energy.”